Come the revolution

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Resembling a TV remote, the new controller will be a mover and
shaker.Picture: Supplied

Nintendo has unveiled a radical controller for its next games
console, codenamed Revolution. Resembling a television remote, the
unorthodox device uses a sensor to track movement: players can wave
it around like a sword. Described as a "movement capture device",
it can detect up, down, left, right, forward and backward
movements.

An extra peripheral can plug into the controller to add
additional buttons and an analog stick similar to the GameCube
pad.

Nintendo has been relegated to third position in the home
console market by Sony and Microsoft, but believes it can cement a
healthy future by widening the audience for interactive games,
attracting new consumers who currently do not play. Control pads
can be intimidating for newcomers, but Sony has already shown there
is a big market for alternative control methods with its EyeToy
digital camera games that track a player's body movements. More
than seven million EyeToy games have sold since 2003.

Nintendo has been an innovator in the industry, pioneering the
analog control, shoulder buttons and rumbling joypads. But
Revolution, expected to be released in 2006, is a huge gamble that
could alienate existing players who have used control pads for more
than 20 years.

Designer Shigeru Miyamoto says Nintendo wanted to create an
innovative device anyone could use. He says: "Sitting in front of
your monitor with a controller, there's nowhere to go from that
paradigm - all you can do is make it prettier and faster. We're
going to create a lot of interesting new and creative gaming
experiences. We're really focused on creating a home console
everyone in the family can enjoy."